


The First Noel

by Ninja_Librarian



Series: Shidgemas 2018 [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Day 1: Tradition/First, Established Relationship, F/M, First Christmas, Fluffy, Shidgemas 2018, You don't have to read the first two installments of Just Like Magic to understand
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-09-20 06:02:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17017110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ninja_Librarian/pseuds/Ninja_Librarian
Summary: Shidgemas Day 1: Tradition/FirstShiro and Pidge celebrate their first Christmas together, blending their traditions to make something new and beautiful and bright.





	The First Noel

Though the invitation to spend Christmas with the Gunderson-Holt family was completely unexpected, Shiro was glad for it and immediately accepted.

“Are you sure?” Pidge asked, looking surprised. The two were video chatting late on Thanksgiving night and she happened to mention that her mother had said that Shiro was more than welcome to come for the holiday.

Shiro frowned slightly, shifting. “Do you not want me to come?”

“No, it’s just, we’ve been dating for, what, six months now?” Pidge said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I just didn’t know if that felt too soon or what. Not to mention, you’d probably prefer to spend Christmas with your own family.”

“Well, I know your parents and Matt, and they know me so it’s not an intimidating meet-the-family thing or anything like that,” Shiro explained. “So it’d just be meeting any cousins or grandparents and that sort of thing, which is honestly a lot less of a nerve-wracking idea. And as for my family, well, we don’t really have too many Christmas traditions. We just like to eat Kentucky Fried Chicken with strawberry shortcake for dessert. That’s about it. Keith’s spending Christmas with Lance’s family this year anyway, so we’d already be splitting up to some extent. And New Year is way more important holiday-wise. You’re invited to New Year celebrations, by the way. My mom has been telling me to invite you that since September.”

Pidge laughed. “New Year with your family sounds great. Tell your mom I’ll be there.”

“As long as you tell your mom I’ll be there for Christmas.” Shiro told her.

“Well, that was easy to negotiate holidays and whose family to visit when and where and stuff in the future,” Pidge said. He tried not to laugh as her cheeks turned pink and she said, “I mean, you know. Next year. And… yeah.”

“I know exactly what you meant,” He assured her.

Pidge looked relieved, then she said, “Shiro?”

“Yeah?”

“I just want… I wanted to make sure… I know you said that you don’t have many Christmas traditions, but I wanted to make sure that you knew that if you spend Christmas with my family you don’t have to give them up. That we can add them in with ours and make a whole new set of Christmas traditions.”

Shiro smiled. “Thank you, Pidge. I like the sound of that.”

“Yeah, well, I think my mom will like the sound of not having to make dinner if we get KFC, so there’s that.”

Shiro laughed. He knew how much Colleen hated cooking, but unfortunately her husband, Sam, liked to cook but the fire department also knew the Holt’s address by heart because of Sam’s numerous failed cooking endeavors. So Colleen had to be the one to cook out of sheer necessity until Matt and Pidge were old enough to learn.

After the video chat ended, Shiro leaned back against his pillows, closed laptop resting on his legs, Captain Purr-card curled up beside him, sound asleep.

He grabbed his phone, glancing at the time and debating before pressing in a speed-dial option.

“ _Moshi-moshi, Okaa-San_ ,” He said moments later when his mother picked up. “ _Could you… could you do me a favor? Teach me how to make your Christmas cake?_ ”

*****

Pidge kept ‘casually’ walking into the living room to peer out the bay window, which she often had her nose pressed against like a small child.

“Shiro’s not going to get here any faster just because you keep looking out the window, Katie,” Matt said from where he sat on the floor, eyes on the television as he played a video game.

“You don’t know that, Matt,” Pidge argued, looking over her shoulder.

“Matthew, don’t tease your sister,” Sam said from the armchair, where he was reading an article in a science journal and sipping coffee from his mug that said ‘Head Elf’.

Pidge turned back to the window when she heard a car and she grinned as she saw Shiro’s car pull into the driveway. She rushed to put on her coat and boots, running out to greet Shiro.

He saw her coming and went to meet her half-way, scooping her up and twirling her in the air as she laughed, and her feet were barely on the ground when they ended up in the snow that blanketed the lawn, Pidge on top of Shiro. Their noses brushed, their breath fogging in the air in front of them, snow in their hair.

“I missed you,” Pidge whispered.

“You saw me a few days ago. And we Skyped last night,” Shiro whispered back.

“Yeah, but you can’t do this over Skype.”

With that, she kissed him, deeply, passionately, full of love and tenderness but with a hint of wildness, her fingers becoming intertwined with Shiro’s, both doing anything and everything to be close to the other.

“Hey.”

They broke off to see Matt standing on the front porch, arms folded over his chest, looking grumpy.

“It’s not too late for Santa to put you two on the Naughty List for excessive PDA in front of impressionable children.” Matt called.

Sure enough, the neighborhood children were giggling, their snowball fight and snowman building halted to watch Pidge and Shiro, some giggling, some just downright ogling, while others pretended to gag.

Pidge felt her cheeks heat and she glanced at Shiro, then whispered, “Well… We might as well go all the way then. If we’re going to end up on the Naughty List anyway.”

Shiro grinned.

There was the satisfying THWAP! as a snowball hit Matt square in the face seconds later, wiping off his smug look.

“You’re going to get it!” He yelled, rushing gather snow off the porch railings to throw back.

Pidge laughed.

Christmas wasn’t even until tomorrow, but having Shiro there already made it feel much more magical and bright.

*****

“It’s too beautiful to eat,” Pidge whispered with wide-eyed wonder as Shiro set the cake down on the kitchen counter. Frosted white, the cake was topped with strawberries with ‘Meri Kurisumasu’ written in an elegant script in milk chocolate. The cake itself was two layers of light sponge, with cream and sliced strawberries in the middle.

“I just hope it tastes as good as it looks,” Shiro said. “Took me three failed tries to get this one anywhere close to good enough.”

Pidge tore her eyes away from the cake, wrapping her arms around Shiro’s waist, standing on her toes to kiss him. “You’re so sweet. I’m sure it’ll taste great.”

“Thanks for bringing cake, Takashi.” Colleen said. “Katie’s right, it looks delicious. And,” Her eyes gleamed. “I just know it’s going to taste better after a meal I didn’t have to prepare. I don’t know why we didn’t think of doing KFC for Christmas Eve dinner a long time ago. So thank you for that, too.”

“Thanks for inviting me, Dr. Gunderson,” Shiro said.

“Nope,” Colleen said, wagging a finger at him. “No doctors in the house until at least the twenty-seventh. It’s Colleen or Mrs. Holt to you, mister.”

“Alright, alright,” Shiro said with a laugh. “So. Gunderson-Holt Christmas traditions. Hit me with them.”

Colleen grinned and Pidge went to the fridge, pulling out a mixing bowl covered with tinfoil.

“Mom and I put together the dough for sugar cookies this morning,” Pidge explained. “It had to chill for a few hours. So we’ll let it sit out for a few minutes while we clean the counter and pre-heat the oven. We’ll decorate them after dinner while we watch classic Christmas movies.”

“Cookie time!” Matt exclaimed, sliding into the kitchen on his socked-feet. “Dibs on the big Christmas tree cookie cutter!”

“Matt, that cookie will be as big as your head,” Pidge said.

“So?”

“Why do we even still have the big Christmas tree cookie cutter? You can really only make one cookie with it, and it takes up an entire cookie sheet. Then you always put too much frosting on it and eat it and make yourself sick.”

“Because this discussion is basically tradition, too.”

Shiro and Colleen laughed at the siblings.

Shiro hadn’t even started to partake in these Christmas traditions, but he was already certain that they were all magical and wonderful. Especially if they made Pidge smile like that.

*****

Thirty minutes later, they were covered in flour with cookie dough under their nails and the sweet smell of cookies baking in the oven.

Shiro reached over and grabbed a pinch of flour to add to the dough he was rolling. Then he smirked to himself with an idea.

He flicked the flour onto Pidge.

Pidge squealed with surprise as Shiro laughed.

“Shiro!” She shrieked, now covered in a fine coating of flour. When Shiro continued to laugh, Pidge didn’t just grab a pinch of flour. No, she grabbed an entire fist-full and tossed it on him. This only made Shiro laugh harder, so that he was practically doubled-over, tears of mirth in his eyes.

“Children,” Matt grumbled, rolling his eyes. Moments later, two fists-full of flour dropped over him and he yelled, “NOT AGAIN!”

Colleen and Sam said nothing, only laughing.

While the cookies cooled, Sam left to get the KFC while Colleen threw together a few side dishes, shooing Pidge, Shiro and Matt out of the kitchen to change into something not covered with flour.

Pidge emerged from her room, tugging on the hem of her green Christmas sweater that had a white dinosaur pattern.

Shiro emerged from the bathroom, dressed in a green sweater with white star-fleet symbols and Starship Enterprises. Pidge grinned, not surprised that Shiro even owned sweaters that were nerdy, given the amount of geeky t-shirts he owned.

“You look cozy,” Shiro said. Flour still dusted his hair, giving him a much more salt-and-pepper appearance than usual.

Pidge wrapped her arms around his waist, tucking her hands into the back pockets of his jeans. “I could be cozier. There could be snuggling on the couch.”

“Hmmm, you know I’m all about that snugglin’.” Shiro said with a slight hum, leaning down to kiss her.

“I’ve got a quilt with our name on it. Just for snuggling purposes. After dinner. You, me, the couch, hot chocolate, and some Christmas movies.”

“Sounds perfect.”

They both jumped as Matt’s door was thrown open, he glared at them both. “You two,” He seethed through gritted teeth. “Are insufferable. It is bad enough I have to deal with this at school, I shouldn’t have to deal with your lovey-dovey-ness here at home, too. And on Christmas.”

“Oh, grow up,” Pidge snapped, not taking her hands out of Shiro’s pockets. “Next year, you and Lacey will be doing the same thing as me and Shiro.”

Upon mentioning Matt’s girlfriend of two and a half months, Matt’s face turned red and he sputtered, then he slammed his bedroom door shut again.

“I think he’ll lay off now,” Pidge told Shiro conspiratorially, leading him towards the stairs.

*****

Dinner was delicious, and the cake was devoured. Matt’s earlier grumpiness was erased with food.

“I think this is the best Christmas Eve dinner I’ve ever had,” Sam said with a happy sigh.

Icing for the cookies was prepared by Colleen while the others cleared the table, and they discussed which one they wanted to watch while cookie decorating.

“What do you usually watch?” Shiro asked as he helped Sam load the dishwasher.

“Something different every year,” Sam answered. “Does your family watch any Christmas movies, Takashi?”

“Not typically as a family, but my mom is obsessed with the Hallmark Christmas movies,” Shiro said. “They’re nice and fluffy with the happy endings. She’s a die-hard romantic. She and my dad usually spend every night from Thanksgiving through Christmas watching at least one together.”

“Aw, that’s sweet, like a date night every night,” Pidge said as she started to gather sprinkles and other decorating supplies.

“We could watch _A Christmas Carol_ ,” Colleen suggested. “It is a classic.”

“Yeah, but which one?” Matt asked. “We own practically every single version of that film to ever exist. The Muppet version, the George C. Scott version, the Mickey Mouse version, the Patrick Stewart version—”

Shiro whipped around, eyes wide, exclaiming, “Patrick Stewart’s in a version of _A Christmas Carol_!?! As in, Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the _USS Enterprise_ Patrick Stewart!”

“I think we just found the answer to your question, Matt,” Pidge said with a laugh. “As long as Shiro’s not against the idea of seeing Picard as Scrooge.”

While Sam and Shiro set up a card table in the living room and Pidge and Colleen brought in cookie decorating supplies, Matt queued up the DVD player.

The movie was soon watched; Scrooge was haunted by three ghosts, then Scrooge vowed to keep Christmas in his heart, and Tiny Tim said ‘God bless us, every one’. Cookies were decorated, and a batch of hot chocolate was being prepared to drink with the cookies while they watched a second film before bed.

For this one, there would be lots of snuggling.

Pidge and Shiro snuggled on one corner of the couch, Sam and Colleen on the other, as Matt hit the play button so that they could watch _The Polar Express_.

Pidge sighed happily as she leaned into Shiro, sipping her hot chocolate, tucking the quilt around her and Shiro tighter. She also tugged on the empty sleeve of Shiro’s sweater, draping it over her shoulder like a scarf. He had removed his prosthetic before settling in for the second movie. She wasn’t sure if it was the present company—to include her mother, who was the doctor who fitted Shiro for the prosthetic limb in the first place—or time, but she knew that the Shiro she first met would never have dreamed of taking off the prosthetic except to bathe, sleep, or if he was in an intense amount of pain. Especially while staying with people who weren’t immediate family. She was just glad that he was comfortable in more than one sense of the word.

By the time this movie was over, everyone was headed for bed with yawns.

Pidge curled up in her bed, snug and warm, a smile on her face.

Tomorrow was Christmas.

And, tomorrow, Shiro’s face would be one of the first she saw.

*****

Shiro woke up the next morning momentarily confused by his surroundings, only to remember that he was in Matt’s room. And that it was Christmas.

And that he had something special planned for Pidge tonight.

Pidge…

He got up off the air mattress, yawning and stretching, grabbing both his prosthetic and toothbrush to make his way towards the bathroom. Stepping out of Matt’s room, he smelled coffee brewing.

A few minutes later, he wandered downstairs to find Pidge pouring coffee into a mug. She hadn’t noticed him yet, humming to herself a Christmas hymn. He stood in the doorway, smiling, admiring how cute she looked in her green-and-white striped pajama bottoms and matching top in solid green. Her feet, he noticed, were clad in socks with a candy-cane print.

He also thought how nice it’d be. To wake up every morning to find Pidge in the kitchen brewing a pot of coffee.

_One day, Takashi, one day…_

Pidge turned to go back to the table, pausing when she saw him, smiling.

“Good morning,” She said. Her smile became somewhat shy as she said, “ _Meri Kurisumasu_.”

Shiro smiled, stepping into the kitchen, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, whispering, “Merry Christmas.”

“Is Matt up?”

“He wasn’t when I left his room.”

“Good. I want you all to myself for a little while.”

Shiro smiled. “I was hoping for the same thing.”

He brewed himself a cup of tea and they sat at the table across from each other. Shiro stared at Pidge, sipping her coffee, for a moment, then said, “Uh, speaking of having you to myself for a while… Um, I have a present for you. Another present. But I can only give you hints about it because it’s a gift for later on today.”

“Hmm, cryptically vague hints about presents are usually done before Christmas, but you’ve piqued my interest,” Pidge said, resting her chin on her fist. “So what can I know?”

“Well, it’s going to be roughly around late afternoon, or early evening. At an undisclosed location.”

“Does undisclosed location have a dress code?”

“Hmm, not really.”

“Okay. And it’s just you and me, right?”

“Yep.”

Pidge smiled and sipped more of her coffee. “I shall be patient and wait for my present then.”

*****

The morning passed in a blur of wrapping paper, candy canes, hot chocolate, jigsaw puzzles and more presents.

Finally, in the late afternoon, Shiro pulled Pidge aside and asked, “Would you be ready to go to your other present in about half an hour?”

Pidge’s eyes gleamed as she nodded, then she dashed upstairs to change her clothes.

Shiro followed suit, but when he emerged ready to go and laid eyes on Pidge…

His heart did a jolt for multiple reasons.

Because she looked cute in the outfit.

Because it was one of his favorite outfits for her to wear.

Because it was kismet that she chose that particular outfit.

Because it was the outfit she wore on their first date. That wasn’t actually a date. Because Shiro was an idiot.

A pale green turtleneck paired with a dark green skirt and white tights and black heels, her hair in a long ponytail, her mother helping her pin a decorative clip into her hair.

“Should I change?” Pidge asked nervously, noticing Shiro’s gaze lingering.

“No,” He said quickly. “No. It’s just… You wore that on our first date. Well, not our real first date. Uh, Valentine’s Day.”

Pidge blinked and put her hand on her hip, raising an eyebrow, a smirk on her face. “You can remember what I wore on Valentine’s Day. But not that it was actually Valentine’s Day?”

Shiro laughed. “Yeah, I’m never living that down, am I?”

“Nope,” Pidge said, grabbing her jacket off the rack. “Ready?”

“More than,” Shiro answered, grabbing his own jacket and keys.

Pidge, to her credit, sat quietly in the passenger seat, not making guesses or demanding hints. Still, she gasped when he pulled into the parking lot of the Chinse restaurant.

“A dinner date is the present?” She asked.

“Yeah,” Shiro said. “Back home in Japan, Christmas is a lot more like Valentine’s Day here in the U.S. Couples go out to eat and exchange gifts and it’s all very romantic. And since, well, as I did kind of mess up Valentine’s Day, I’d like to try to fix that with Christmas.” He gave her a sheepish grin and said, “I’m less likely to forget what day December Twenty-Fifth is than February Fourteenth, apparently.”

Pidge leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek, squeezing his knee. “Shiro, I love it. It’s perfect.” She grinned. “Maybe Christmas can be our Valentine’s. Make it our very own tradition. Just for the two of us.”

Shiro took her hand, squeezing her fingers gently. “Then I think that it’s the best Christmas tradition ever.”


End file.
